Graveyard Tour – Shiloh Lutheran Church

Revolutionary War soldier, Francis Ketner, is buried in The Old Cemetery near Shiloh Lutheran Church in Lewisville, North Carolina. The Daughters of the American Revolution placed a plaque at the foot of the gravestone to honor Ketner’s service.

The Old Cemetery

The final stop of the 2009 Historic Graveyard Tour that was held on May 2, 2009 was The Old Cemetery at Shiloh Lutheran Church, the oldest congregation in Lewisville, and the oldest Lutheran Church in Forsyth County. Located a quarter mile east of Shiloh Lutheran Church — tucked away in a peaceful nook in the woods — The Old Cemetery offers a bit of “revolutionary” history and local legend for all who walk that sacred ground. The site of the original church is located further into the woods, not too far from The Old Cemetery.

Preserving History

Terry Dull, a long-time member of Shiloh Lutheran Church, hosted the last portion of the Historic Graveyard Tour. About eight years ago, Terry and his wife Bette began researching the history of the church and the old graveyard. They wanted to preserve the church’s rich history for future generations. In 2002 Terry and Bette published their findings in a 36-page booklet titled The Old Deutsch Meeting House Graveyard, just in time for the church’s 225th anniversary.

For more HISTORY, PHOTOS and AUDIO, please continue to the NEXT SECTION.
CLICK for more on The Old Cemetery

Historic Graveyard Tour

This image is an artistic rendering of an inscription on an old tombstone in one of the graveyards featured in the 2009 Historic Graveyard Tour held in Lewisville, North Carolina.

Tour Overview

This past Saturday (May 2, 2009) I joined about 20 other individuals on the Historic Graveyard Tour that took us to six historic graveyards in the Lewisville Township. The tour began at the Lewisville Library and was sponsored by the Lewisville Historical Society’s Sesquicentennial Steering Committee. The six graveyards we visited are located at the following sites:

• Concord United Methodist Church
• Double Springs AME Zion Church (the church building no longer exists)
• Panther Creek Plantation (private property)
• Lewisville Baptist Church
• Lewisville United Methodist Church
• Shiloh Lutheran Church

Before departing for our first stop, each tour participant received a handout with information on each historic graveyard. Upon arriving at each graveyard, we were met by an individual who provided additional history regarding each site.

Upcoming Coverage

I took a number of photos at each graveyard, and I also tried to capture some audio of the oral historical session provided at each site. Over the next few weeks, I’ll feature each graveyard separately, with lots of photos, and possibly some audio, if the recording quality is good. I’ll be interspersing the coverage of each graveyard between other Lewisville events until each of the graveyards has been covered.

Meanwhile, shown next is a photo from each of the historic graveyards.
CLICK to see photos from the Historic Graveyard Tour

Pointing the Way

The three wise men in the Live Nativity at Shiloh Lutheran Church look for the star leading them to the Baby Jesus.

Shiloh Lutheran Church presented its second annual Live Nativity this weekend, on Friday and Saturday evenings. Five stages of the Nativity, which included live animals, were depicted by actors and actresses of varying ages who played their roles with heartfelt enthusiasm, even as the night temperatures fell.

From the warmth and comfort of their vehicles, visitors driving along the Nativity route listened to a description of each stage from either a CD or tape player provided by the church. Each stage depicted a portion of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The first stage of the Nativity showed the archangel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she was with child by the Holy Spirit, followed by Joseph and Mary in the second stage looking for a room in the city of Bethlehem. Lowly shepherds were greeted by angels in stage three who were pronouncing the Messiah’s birth. In the fourth stage, the Baby Jesus was shown in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph and an angel. Finally, in stage five, the wise men were seeking the child King as they followed his star.

Upon completing the Nativity route, visitors were treated to hot cider, hot chocolate and baked goodies in the church’s fellowship hall.

Thank you to the members of Shiloh Lutheran Church for giving your time and talents to present the Live Nativity to the community.

To see photos of the various stages of the Live Nativity, please visit the Shiloh Lutheran Live Nativity photo gallery.